I've spent many a Thanksgiving wondering what to bake for a savory side to soak up excess mushroom gravy. I always make something different every year. I usually rotate between biscuits, cornbread, rolls, or mini croissants. This year I decided to make a bit of it all (well, maybe not including the croissant part! ^_^'). These muffins that I made are more like a biscuit-muffin hybrid with a little bit of scone mixed in... That makes sense, right? They are savory with a buttery sweetness and a slight yet not over=powdering olive oil flavor. I added butternut squash for a light sweetness to round out the flavors. I also threw some dried and fresh sage into the batter for a festive herbaceous aroma. I rarely cook with sage so these were such a treat! Serve them piping hot from the oven! They only take 15 minutes to cook and they would probably do wonderfully slathered in a savory jam or vegan butter. Go wild and enjoy your muffin-biscuit-scones...Bisconfits? I don't know. Butternut & Sage Olive Oil MuffinsYield: 24 muffins Free from: Soy, Gluten, Refined Sugar
Instructions
Preheat the oven to 400 F.
t This recipe is a doozy! I've attempted to recreate the most NOT VEGAN recipe I've ever eaten! This casserole/dip/frittata/breakfast bake/brunch thing (I honestly don't know what to call it!) is a recipe from my great Aunt. I remember my mom asking for this recipe after Christmas day brunch at her house. I was young...too young to have even thought about being a vegetarian at the time. The recipe is titled "Texas Fudge". It's literally everything that isn't vegan all mashed into a baking dish and baked until bubbly. It's absolutely artery-clogging but I remember it being sinfully delicious. It's not something I would ever be able to stomach now. The thought of meat and cheese together alone grosses me out let alone adding eggs into the mix. I thought, though, what about a vegan version? Scrambled tofu is one of my favorite things on this earth. Why not?! This version of Texas Fudge is much healthier. It's not the healthiest thing for a vegan to eat, but it's not bad, relatively speaking. It's high in protein, low in fat and is all homemade. The only thing in this recipe I didn't make was the vegan cheese. Although, if you'd like to substitute the vegan cheese for your own homemade vegan cheese or cheese sauce, I'm sure it would be delicious! I also added in some onion and spinach to give the dish flavor, color and nutrition! Feel free, again, to substitute the veggies or add more! I bet this would be amazing with a ton of vegetables added in. The combinations are endless. Use this recipe as a base for whatever you're feeling! This is a great brunch dish for a get together with family and friends. You can serve it any way you want to. It's great with crackers, toast, on a plate, in ramekins, whatever you fancy! Enjoy and don't feel bad! ^_^ Vegan Texas Fudge
Instructions Tempeh
Tofu Scramble
Tofu Filling
Assembly
My next holiday baking post is one that could be enjoyed all year round, either as a breakfast accompaniment, a snack or a simple dessert. I absolutely love coffee cake. When I grew up, I only knew what coffee cake was because of Entenmann's crumb cake. This isn't vegan, of course. It's also highly processed and loaded with stuff I would never eat now. It did taste good, though! When I began to bake for myself, I made crumb cakes a few times. They were always delicious, but they got a little ho-hum. So, I tried to spice up my recipes with berries, chocolate and other types of ingredients. I realize now that I haven't made a "special" crumb cake in a long time. I'm well overdue. When I began to think of a cool combination of flavors, I stumbled upon the idea of a carrot coffee cake. Not that unique, right? Then, I thought, what if I put peanut butter with it?! I know, it seems like a strange combination. But, if you think about it, eating carrots and peanut butter for a snack is kinda delicious. I actually love peanut butter and carrots together! Why not bake with them and make it interesting? Exactly. This coffee cake is moist, slightly sweet, warm and spicy with cinnamon, bright and earthy with carrots and super nutty! It's great as a snack or a quick breakfast. It's also great with...you guessed it. Coffee. You can also feel good about snacking on this cake because it is made with mostly whole grain flours. Feel free to substitute your own flour blends, but be aware that the texture may change. You may also need to alter the amount of non-dairy milk you add. I'm definitely suggesting you make this either as a full cake or as individual cupcakes for any holiday breakfasts you might be having. This recipe is quick enough to whip up on the weekend and save for the rest of the week too. Grab 'em and go. Sit and stay. Whatever you want to do, these guys will be there for you. Enjoy! <3 Carrot Coffee Cake with Peanut Butter StreuselYield: 10 individual cupcakes or 1 - 9x9 cake Free from: Soy, Gluten, Nuts* Ingredients Cake
Streusel
Instructions
Preheat oven to 345 F.
I wasn't going to do another pumpkin post, but I feel kind of obligated to. I should get it out of my system while it's still autumn, right?! Truth be told, I hate the amount of things that are pumpkin spice "flavored" these days. It's a bit over-kill. The problem is, I have always loved pumpkin! When I was younger, the only things I could get pumpkin flavored were cookies and pie during the holidays. It was such a treat. Now, you can get pumpkin spice coffee literally everywhere from about August to January. It's pumpkin everything. I still have a love for pumpkin pie, pumpkin bread and pumpkin cookies. I think spiced baked goods with the earthy sweetness of pumpkin are irresistible. I don't like to get these things out, though. I love baking them so much more. The smell of the spices wafting throughout the house is almost as enjoyable as eating whatever is cooking. If you're like me and love pumpkin but want it quicker than 15-20 minutes, make this recipe! I knew I wanted to make griddle cakes for my next post, but I wasn't sure what flavors to go with. I just knew I wanted something delicious and spicy quickly.
These griddle cakes are minimally sweet so the whipped cream gives a nice sweetness to the entire dish. If you don't want or don't have coconut cream on hand, try maple syrup, agave, vegan honee, coconut sugar or any other sweet thing to drizzle/shake on top. If you prefer nothing on top, that's fine too! You may want to up the amount of coconut sugar you add to the batter, though. Like i said, these are minimally sweet (but still delicious!). * The batter itself is also oil-free. I did, however, cook mine in extra virgin coconut oil. If you are avoiding oil, I would suggest baking these in the oven on some parchment paper. They may turn out like whoopie pies. I don't know...I didn't try it. But maybe they do? That would be cool. ;) Pumpkin Espresso Griddle CakesRecipe Adapted from: Vegan Dorayaki Yield: about 5 griddle cakes (double recipe for more than 1-2 people Free from: gluten, soy, nuts *Oil-free option (see above) Ingredients
Instructions
Toppings: Whipped coconut cream recipe is here. I simply added some vegan powdered sugar and cinnamon to taste. It was so divine! <3 Save a little extra for topping dessert later. ;) I also sprinkled some more espresso powder and cinnamon on top. =P Surprise! My favorite cookbook is NOT vegan! I absolutely love love love my mom's Better Homes & Gardens cookbook from the late 80's-early 90's. It's the cookbook that I grew up using for all my baked goods, especially around the holidays. This cookbook has a chapter for everything and separates foods by categories that make sense (cake, pies, candy, etc.). I've used this cookbook for my foundations for baking just about anything. They have recipes for everything you could want (or not want!) to bake. I love that they take a from-scratch approach to most of their recipes. Some recipes are simplified for the busy cook, but most are left as complicated or uncomplicated as they should be. The recipe that I used for my shortbread cookies came from this book! It's such a simple, foolproof recipe! Ever since I've gone vegan, I've managed to get frustrated with this book because of recipes that are not easy to veganize. On the flip side of that, however, I love the challenge! Making any of the cookies in this book is nostalgic for me and brings me right back to my childhood. My favorite recipe from here is the snickerdoodle recipe. I've attempted to recreate them here in my first ever blog post. There's also that other post from last year that features another BHG recipe: ranger cookies! I remade them to be semi-healthy for Father's Day. I absolutely love the recipes in this cookbook. They are all meant to share with your favorite people...that's the entire reason that I love food! (Well, eating it is pretty rad, too...but I wouldn't enjoy it nearly as much if I had to eat it alone!) =) For this cookbook celebration, I made one of the easiest and most simple recipes of all: muffins! These muffins come out more like a cross between a scone and muffin rather than a breakfast cake like most would eat nowadays. These muffins are dry and crunchy on top, which is quite satisfying. They are less sweet than commercial muffins and I made them with raspberries studded on top for tartness. I never underestimate our power as cooks to be able to transform any recipe into whatever we want to. I don't like to confine myself to just vegan cookbooks or vegan recipes. Vegan is a parameter for cooking that should be factored in just as dietary restrictions should. Sometimes, I still want a simple baked good from my childhood and this cookbook still holds solid recipes for me to use. With a few tweaks, I can still enjoy food that I love, just in a different way. ;) <3 Basic Raspberry MuffinsYield: 6 Muffins
Free of: Gluten, Nuts Adapted from: Better Homes & Gardens Cookbook Ingredients
Instructions Preheat oven 400 F.
Stuffed french toast may sound fancy, but it really isn't if you have some basic things on hand. This is MoFo Day 2: Quick, Easy & Delicious!!! I wouldn't dupe you, I promise. You may recall ::erhem:: from what I posted yesterday that I recently baked some gluten-free bread. I posted the recipe here! But, for those of you who either do not require homemade gluten-free bread or would rather not be bothered (usually me), store-bought vegan bread will do! I always splurge on bread because I don't buy it very often. I like to get a mostly whole grain loaf that was made from scratch somewhere. For making french toast the way I like it, I like to have a dense and firm slice of bread to work with. There's nothing that I dislike more than a soggy slice of french toast. =( If you have a loaf of bread, I recommend leaving it out overnight or leaving a couple slices out overnight. The slices will hold up better to frying if they are a tad stale. I got this idea from a recipe made by the amazing food blogger Richa of Vegan Richa. I absolutely love her blog. She seems to never run out of ideas for new recipes. Her dishes are usually very accessible but infused with different flavors than what you would expect. She made this samosa stuffed french toast that I had to try one day and "my goodness gracious" is all I have to say. It was outrageous. I love to make savory breakfasts and brunches when I don't feel like eating anything sweet. However, I felt that today I wanted a touch of sweetness and I looked around my kitchen to find some friends to help me on my quest. All you need for this recipe is a small banana, 2 slices of bread, jam/jelly/compote/another fruit of choice, and a simple chickpea batter. You can always make a different batter if you don't have chickpea flour on hand, but I really love how smooth and crispy it turns the outside of the french toast. It also has a lovely flavor. Also, you can make this french toast when you are absolutely starving because it only takes about 10-15 minutes to prepare. Not too shabby. ;) Fry away, friends! Banana Stuffed French Toast For OneYield: 1 serving (1 double french toast) Inspiration: Vegan Richa's Samosa Stuffed French Toast Ingredients
Cooking Instructions
* I recommend either making your own powdered sugar in a blender or buying a good quality brand like Wholesome Sweeteners. They make awesome products that you can feel good about buying. I don't use powdered sugar often, but when I do I like to make sure it's vegan and non-GMO. Go ahead and dig in. It's all yours! MoFo Day 2: recreate a meal from childhood So, this prompt was pretty easy for me to figure out. I was a very picky eater as a kid, which I'm sure many people can sympathize with. I was very wary of new flavors and new foods. I had a huge sweet tooth. I also loved carbs. The two things that haven't changed about my tastes from childhood are my love for carbs and my distaste/indifference towards meat. I was never a big meat-eater. I merely ate meat because it was served to me. It was the only real option for a sit-down meal. I always preferred carb-heavy options, however. I loved baked goods, rice, pasta, crackers, pretzels, etc. I also loved cinnamon on everything. Okay, so that hasn't changed either... Put cinnamon on it, and I'll probably approve. The one thing that my grandma would make for my dad, his siblings, and my sister and I for breakfast was something she called "Ichiban Cinnamon Toast". My grandma is from Japan, and she never really ate bread growing up. Bread in Japan is very rich, buttery, and flaky like a pastry. Japanese bread, like most of their baked goods, has an abundance of egg and dairy in it to give it a very airy texture with a rich, buttery flavor that is pretty much to-die-for. My grandma would take a slice of white bread, toast it lightly, and spread some butter on top while it was still warm. Then, she would lightly sprinkle some cinnamon and sugar over the toast. This is a very common thing to do, I'm sure...but, when she made it, it was so much better than anything I'd ever had! The bread was crispy, light, savory and lightly sweet with a hint of warmth from the cinnamon. It's the most amazing breakfast I've ever had. I make it to this day when I'm feeling under the weather or down in the dumps. It's wonderful with hot tea or coffee. Ever since I pretty much stopped buying bread on a regular basis due to my growing bread snobbery, I haven't eaten cinnamon toast often at all. I reserve the pleasures of cinnamon toast for times when I have an excellent bread to toast. I decided, since I made my very first successful gluten-free and vegan bread last year, that I would make a loaf of bread and make an excellent slice of cinnamon toast from it. So, I've revisited the bread recipe that I used from Cara Reed's blog Fork & Beans and I've altered it to be more buttery and airy than my last loaf. I used the same ratios from Cara's recipe, but changed some ingredients around a bit. I snuck in some aquafaba, non-dairy butter, and Ener-G egg replacement powder among other things to yield a gluten-free bread that rises like a champ and is tough enough to knead like regular gluten-filled dough. Thanks to Cara, this bread recipe is gum-free for anyone who doesn't like to use xanthan or guar gums. I usually don't mind using these products, but it's nice for those who don't feel like buying them for just one recipe or who cannot eat them for dietary or health reasons. Here is my bread recipe and below that are instructions for my favorite cinnamon toast! Have fun! B) Gluten-Free Vegan BreadYield: 1- 8x4 loaf Gluten & Gum-free/Can be: Soy & Nut-free Source/Adapted from: Fork & Beans Ingredients Wet
Dry
Instructions
Cinnamon ToastAll you need for this (it isn't really a recipe) is some non-dairy buttery spread (like Earth Balance or Melt) or coconut oil + sea salt for a less processed option. If you use coconut oil and salt, I'll suggest on adding a sprinkle of nutritional yeast on your toast as well. I find this combination together gives a slight buttery taste. It's pretty delicious!
After you spread as much of your "butter" of choice as you would like on your sliced, toasted homemade bread (OMG I'm hungry!), sprinkle on some dry sweetener of choice. I used coconut sugar because I'm obsessed with it and I love its flavor. You can always substitute sugar with stevia or any other natural vegan sweetener you like. Then, the kicker: add a dash of organic cinnamon on top. I always try to buy organic spices and dried herbs so I can control the quality of my dishes. I also like to get the best quality that I can for ingredients that will last me a long time. Enjoy your ichiban cinnamon toast with a piping hot cup of something and relax. You've earned it after all that effort it took to bake bread from scratch. ;) Good morning, Everyone! I'm so excited to be participating in Vegan MoFo for my second year! Last year was a bit of a loose participation since I didn't have any prompts. I liked picking my own theme, but I definitely could have posted more. It's tough to make yourself post every day when you run out of recipes. =I This year is different, though and I'm so stoked about it! I loved all the prompts that were thrown at us this year, even if some were a bit difficult. This first one was a gift, though. Breakfast? Endless possibilities. I chose to recreate a delicious on-the-go version of biscuits, gravy and sausage. I used to love fast food sausage biscuits when I was a little kid. Little did I know how absolutely disgusting they were! I haven't had one since. Although, I have had vegan sausage and gravy dishes from places like Lamplighter Espresso and I absolutely fell in love. I feel much better about eating this version of this dish, even if it isn't the healthiest thing in the world. I've tried to make this as wholesome as possible in my own kitchen. I took the gluten out of the biscuits, replaced the regular white flour with my own blend of flours and used good fats. I also made my own meat-free sausage using tempeh, which is one of my favorite soy products. I try to eat fermented soy more often than not. Tofu is always an easy option, but it definitely doesn't give much texture to a dish unless it's drained properly. This tempeh came together wonderfully after I par-cooked it in a saucepan with some water and salt. After that, I mashed it into a wonderful mixture of spices and formed it into sausage patties. Well, here's what I did in picture/recipe form. Please try this out if you have the time. It's not a very long process and you will have sausages and biscuits for a few days! Oh, the possibilities! <3 Happy MoFo, Bloggers and Vegans! Let's kill it! ^_^/ Gluten-Free & Vegan Sausage BiscuitsYield: 5-6 biscuits
Adapted from: Better Homes & Gardens Ingredients Biscuits
*If using coconut oil, add 1/4 tsp more salt Tempeh Sausages
Instructions Biscuits
Tempeh Sausages Servings: About 4
I am so happy that summer fruit is in full swing right now! I made some peach crumble bars about a week ago for a graduation party. I love coming up with desserts for this particular group of friends because it's quite a challenge to make something that everyone can eat. I love a challenge. ;) I am vegan, of course. My friends who hosted the party are unable to eat: dairy, soy and nuts. Most people who talk to me about accommodating friends with specific dietary needs have a certain venom in their voices. It must be tough for those who have to purchase expensive allergen-free desserts from the store. More often than not, if you're unable to get them fresh, you have to splurge on frozen products. I don't know about anyone else, but I only enjoy frozen things if they happen to be ice cream. Or smoothies. Or milkshakes. Or chocolate. Honestly, some chocolate tastes really good frozen. Moving on. So, I made these crumble bars because they seem to fit the bill perfectly. I had some perfectly ripe peaches, oats, gluten-free flour, and all the other ingredients just lying around in my kitchen wasting away. I decided to give them all a purpose. I love peaches in the summer. They're juicy, sweet, tangy, and soft. Nothing better in a salad, on pancakes, in my smoothies, and just, generally, around and in my mouth. They also cook down very nicely into jam or compote. I made the latter for these crumble bars and it was the easiest process in the world. I would definitely recommend a Vitamix/food processor/stick blender for the compote. It's not necessary, of course. I've also made the compote without blending the peaches beforehand and it came out just as delicious. The amount of time and texture does change when you blend the fruit, though. I found that it comes out more consistently and is easier for slicing the finished bars. Chunky or smooth, it's up to you. Now, if you would care to indulge (but not too much because this is kind of healthy), go grab some ripe peaches and crumble them! ^_^ Peach Crumble BarsYield: approx 9-12 servings (1-8x8 square pan) Soy, Nut, & Gluten Free Ingredients
For the compote
For the crumble
Instructions Oven 350 F.
Dorayaki are delicious snacks that can be enjoyed for any meal of the day. They are usually treated as a dessert in Japan because they are quite sweet. Dorayaki are simply pancake and red bean sandwiches. I have also had some filled with a custard-like cream which are also delicious. I've always gotten them made fresh from a food stand with my grandma and grandpa as a treat when I was younger. I've finally found a great homemade recipe for gluten=free and vegan dorayaki that are more wholesome! I would totally eat these for breakfast and feel no shame! The pancakes I made are just made like a traditional pancake: on a skillet. There are special cake moulds you can purchase to shape dorayaki into various things...like fish. These fish-shaped cakes are referred to as taiyaki. They're pretty cute. The filling I made is a sweet jam of sorts made out of azuki beans. These beans are the same ones that I used in my onigiri recipe. They are so versatile! I've found, while working with beans in sweet recipes, that adding a bright flavor can help bring everything together. I love adding orange to red beans. I think the bright and sweet fragrance helps to liven up the beans and add some depth to them. Traditionally, red bean paste (tsubu-an) is made with a ton of white sugar. I'm not a fan of one-note desserts. Anything that is too sweet is inedible in my book, so I try to dial back sweeteners and add in other flavors for interest. I usually dial back the sugar that's called for in any dessert recipe by up to half and I can't say I notice any decrease in quality of taste. Sometimes, I can't do this, if I'm making icing for example. However, there are always other types of sweeteners that are great substitutes for sugar...but that's for another post! ^_^ I loved the earthy taste of these dorayaki. I added orange zest and juice to both the cakes and the filling to compliment and balance the red beans. I loved the fragrance of the batter as it cooked! Never underestimate the power of aromatherapy! If you aren't too keen on azuki beans, try using any other jam of your choice. You can also put nut butter in between the cakes...how could that be bad? If you don't care for orange, or want to mix it up, try adding in lemon zest, apple juice, cinnamon, pumpkin, or any other feel-good flavor you can think of. Hmm...pumpkin spice dorayaki...that just might be my next post! =D So, like I said, try these little guys out for your next after school/after gym/after sleeping snack and then maybe for dessert later in the day... ;) Multi-purpose foods rock. Homemade DorayakiYield: about 5 assembled cakes (2 pancakes each) Cake recipe adapted from Kansha by Elizabeth Andoh Ingredients Cake
* Alternately, you may use 1/4 cup more gluten-free all purpose flour in place of the millet and tapioca, though this may change the consistency a bit. It may be more dense. Instructions
Tsubu-An (Red Bean Jam) Yield: a little more than 1 cup Ingredients
Instructions
MoFo is almost over...I think I have 1 more surprise for you all. Thank you for reading and check back often! |
I'm Jess!This is my very first food blog! I post revised conventional recipes of foods that I hold near and dear to my heart. My cooking here is all gluten-free and cruelty-free, but full of flavor and comfort. Archives
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